Ridiculing the “tinfoil hats”: Citizen responses to COVID-19 misinformation in the Danish facemask debate on Twitter

Nicklas Johansen; Sara Vera Marjanovic; Cathrine Valentin Kjaer; Rebekah Brita Baglini; Rebecca Adler-Nissen

doi:10.37016/mr-2020-93

Ridiculing the “tinfoil hats”: Citizen responses to COVID-19 misinformation in the Danish facemask debate on Twitter

Nicklas Johansen, Sara Vera Marjanovic, Cathrine Valentin Kjaer, Rebekah Brita Baglini, Rebecca Adler-Nissen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

We study how citizens engage with misinformation on Twitter in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that misinformation regarding facemasks is not corrected through counterarguments or fact-checking. Instead, many tweets rejecting misinformation use humor to mock
misinformation spreaders, whom they pejoratively label wearers of “tinfoil hats.” Tweets rejecting misinformation project a superior social position and leave the concerns of misinformation spreaders unaddressed. Our study highlights the role of status in people’s engagement with online misinformation.

Original language	English
Journal	Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review
Volume	3
Issue number	2
Number of pages	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-93
Publication status	Published - 2 Mar 2022

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Ridiculing the “tinfoil hats” : Citizen responses to COVID-19 misinformation in the Danish facemask debate on Twitter. / Johansen, Nicklas ; Marjanovic, Sara Vera; Kjaer, Cathrine Valentin; Baglini, Rebekah Brita; Adler-Nissen, Rebecca.

In: Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, Vol. 3, No. 2, 02.03.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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